Violations Result in Hundreds of Thousands in Fines for Operators of Waste Transfer Station

Severe judgements have been handed down to operators of transfer stations in Kafr Kassam and Rishon Lezion, after the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MoEP) filed charges against them. Amongst other violations, owners and workers of the stations were convicted of operating transfer stations without the legally required infrastructure.

​A Petach Tikvah court imposed a fine of NIS 867,000 upon A.S. Halil Ltd., as well as its owner and a worker. The company operated a transfer station for construction waste between 2010-2013, which also acted as a site for waste removal in Kafr Kassam.

During a routine visit, MoEP inspectors found the station was operating without required infrastructure, was not properly fenced off, and that waste from the station was polluting the public domain. It was also found that in February 2013, a pile of construction waste was burned in the station, which caused air pollution and unreasonable odor in the area, and that the attendant tossed wooden planks into the pile of burning debris.

The court convicted the company, its owners, and employee of running a business without a permit, operating a transfer station without required infrastructure, evacuating waste to an unauthorized site, and causing pollution and unreasonable odor.

In a different ruling, a Rishon Lezion court convicted Shaul Gueta Ltd., its CEO, and its directors of operating a transfer station without required infrastructure, water pollution, and breach of responsibilities.

These offenses, too, were discovered by MoEP inspectors during a visit to waste transfer stations operated by the company in the Rishon Lezion industrial area. Aside from not having required infrastructure, the sites weren’t fenced off as required, and waste from the stations were contaminating the soil. In addition, there was no firefighting system in place.

The company was fined NIS 110,000. If it is convicted of committing similar offenses in the next three years, it will be fined NIS 220,000. The CEO and directors were fined NIS 25,000, and will be fined NIS 75,000 if they commit similar offenses in the next three years. They also had to sign personal guarantees to secure the company’s legal obligations.